Everglades Skyway

Last Thursday the Everglades Skyway Summit was held at the Biltmore Hotel. I was supposed to be there, but in the end wound up missing the event.

Why the Skyway is important, from Build-the-Skyway.com:

Tamiami Trail (US highway 41) cuts through Shark River Slough, one of the Everglades’ deepest and most important water passageways. Scientists say this 11-mile section of the 1928 road must be elevated into a “skyway” if Everglades restoration is to succeed. The skyway will be an important first step in returning the historic water sheet flow through parched Everglades National Park and into Florida Bay. It will be beneficial to wildlife by reducing habitat fragmentation and preventing road kill. The project will create jobs and increase tourism while raising Everglades awareness at the same time. Best yet, an 11-mile skyway will serve as a visible symbol of Everglades restoration; a real benefit to the floundering project. The Sierra Club believes that Everglades restoration cannot happen without the full 11-mile skyway.

The following is a description of the Summit, written by Kristina Trotta of Sierra Club.

On Thursday, September 21st, the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables was the setting for the Everglades Skyway Summit, a one day conference that brought together representatives from the business community, government agencies and environmental organizations to discuss the Everglades Skyway – the best solution for restoring our Everglades.

The room was full as Rebecca Smith, a curator at the Historical Museum of South Florida, spoke about the rich history of the Tamiami Trail. She was followed by Dr. Richard Weisskoff, an economics professor at the University of Miami who told the crowd about the economics of the Everglades. Dr. Luis Prieto, a civil engineering professor at Florida International University later spoke on the role that bridges have played through world history. He discussed the mechanics of building the Skyway and how the structure would have significant meaning for the Miami-Dade community. Jonathan Ullman of the Sierra Club gave an overview of how all of these pieces – history, economics and engineering can all come together in our campaign to build the Everglades Skyway.

The day wrapped up with the keynote speaker, Senator Bob Smith, president of the Everglades Foundation. The Senator gave the call to action, encouraging all of the participants to contact decision makers and to work to see an 11-mile Skyway become a reality. His speech was impassioned and left the attendees with the feeling that they must do their part to get the Skyway built.

Although many were unsure of what to expect at the beginning of the day, the series of speakers gave a sense that the Skyway is attainable and that this is the campaign to get involved with. All participants were given an opportunity to join in on the excitement by endorsing the campaign and to take part in the subcommittees of the Everglades Skyway Coalition – politics, community and business.

For more information on the Everglades Skyway project, visit Build-the-Skyway.com and Sierra Club.